Getty Jack Mulhern attends a special screening for Netflix's "The Society" Season 1.
Netflix premiered its new original series, The Society on May 10. The first season quickly became a binge-worthy hit, especially for its young adult target audience. Although the show is an ensemble series, its early stand-out star was Jack Mulhern, who plays Grizz. Beware of mild spoilers for The Society season 1 below.
Mulhern’s character Grizz, while a jock, has proven himself lovable, compassionate, and resourceful, unlike some of his violent and mean-spirited teammates. While others around him have descended into anarchy, he emerged as a glimmer of hope for the future of the West Ham teens.
Here’s what you need to know about The Society‘s Jack Mulhern:
1. ‘The Society’ Is His TV Acting Debut
While some of Mulhern’s co-stars, including Kathryn Newton, Sean Berdy, and Gideon Adlon, already have established TV and film careers, Grizz is Mulhern’s first professional acting credit (according to IMDb).
It was not, however, the first time he was cast in a lead television role. According to Deadline, he was cast as Tyler Locker in the Hulu pilot Locke and Key in 2017. The show was not picked up for a first season by Hulu and although Netflix has plans to produce the show, Mulhern’s role was recast.
2. He Didn’t Have Social Media Before ‘The Society’
Unless his social media names and handles have been hidden away under pseudonyms, Mulhern was nowhere to be found on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. As fans of the show began following the cast so they could keep up with them beyond their Society characters, demand spread for Jack to join social media. Even the Instagram accounts for Netflix and The Society were on him to join the platform, sharing memes and screenshotted pleas from his fans.
Within hours of creating an Instagram account, he had over 20,000 followers and counting. Refinery 29 helped spread the news, writing “The Society would be absolutely nothing without its shining star Grizz, played by Jack Mulhern, who just made all his new stans’ day by getting an Instagram.”
3. He Graduated From Skidmore College
Before the launch of his professional acting career, Mulhern studied theater at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York; he graduated as part of the class of 2017. As a theater student at Skidmore, he participated in productions such as Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.
Days before season 1 of the show premiered on Netflix, the official Facebook page for Skidmore College Theater acknowledged the recent success of their alum, writing in a post “Congrats to one of our recent Skidmore Theater alums Jack Mulhern on his new Netflix show ‘The Society,’ premiering on May 10th!” They linked Time’s review of the show, which references Mulhern as one of the series’ “relative newcomers in breakout roles.”
4. His Character, Grizz, Quickly Became a Fan Favorite on the New Show
As The Society continues to gain more and more attention on social media, Mulhern’s character is already standing out as a fan favorite. Twitter user @PhoebePotter_ shared a gif of a heart being drawn in the air and wrote “everyone deciding from episode one we must collectively protect Grizz #TheSociety.” The tweet currently has almost 1,000 likes, and its sentiments have been echoed by many other viewers on social media in the days since the show’s initial release. Grizz and Sam’s developing relationship on the show has fans “shipping” them as a couple, too.
TV Guide’s review of the first season calls The Society Netflix’s “Best YA Drama Yet,” and singles out Grizz, saying his “hidden vulnerabilities provide some of the most touching scenes of the season.” The success of his scenes and the impact they are having on the show’s audience must be credited to Mulhern’s honest and dedicated portrayal of his character.
5. He Is Also a Writer & Director
In addition to being a talented actor, he has also developed himself as a writer and director. According to an interview he did at Skidmore, he talked about his experience writing and producing his original work, a multimedia project called Adore. In the interview, he reflected on the creative process:
“I had all these moving parts in my head, and so before we even got in the room, the actors were in the dark. I would film a scene and that would raise questions about how another narrative set piece comes into play. I would write to connect the two. So then, when I would rehearse a staged scene, the actors had no idea where it was going to fit contextually, because the media wasn’t complete. So when we finally got in the room, the actors were brought in on it all at once. Still, it’s felt very fluid.”
As his fame rises, it will be interesting to see if he uses his platform to introduce some of his original work to his fanbase.